About
I worked out on my own for 2 months, and did PT & massage for shoulder injury. During that time I lost 10 pounds and made decent progress toward my goals. Now I am stating with a personal trainer to create a sound, complete set of exercises I can do, correctly, "in real life" ('cause I ain't going to a gym).
Comments aren't supported on Tumblr. If you want to chat, you can find me on Twitter (@LindaEskin) or Facebook.
Looking for something specific?
Goals, Round Two
Riding & Equids:
- Work with Rainy at home at least one solid session per week.
- Do 4 rides or lessons by the end of November, 2009.
- Get pen ready for coming rains by the end of October, 2009.
- Introduce the critters to two little kids by the end of October, 2009.
Aikido:
- Continue to train every Tuesday.
- When possible also train at least one additional day each week.
- Participate in the Connection seminar on October 11th.
- Develop basic competency in everything that will be on the next test (which I would likely take in April or June of 2010), by the end of November, 2009, so in the coming months I can focus on mastering them (well, appropriate for my level, at least).
Weight & Fitness:
- Get to my initial goal weight (lose 8 more pounds) by the end of November, 2009.
- Do scapular stabilization exercises 3 times per week.
- Do core strength exercises 3 times per week.
- Do cardio workout 3 times per week.
- Sleep 6-7 hours per night, tending more toward the high end. (This would be an improvement over my current 5-6).
The really good news about all of these goals is that they all support each other. Fitness helps riding and Aikido. Aikido training improves fitness and riding. Riding is great exercise, and a perfect opportunity to practice my fledgling aiki skills.
OK, October and November, get ready for a great 9 weeks…
How I Did on Round 1 Goals
Things are going really well. I’m fully recovered from my shoulder injury, and have passed my first (very beginner level) Aikido test.
I achieved two of my 3 goals.
Aikido: I got myself to the seminar with Robert Nadeau Shihan, in July, in good shape to participate fully. My other shoulder was very, very sore after the first day. There was no way I was going to miss the second day, so I ate dinner with my husband at our favorite Mexican fast food place with a plastic baggie of soda machine ice dripping down my shirt. Fashion be damned. I iced it several times overnight, too. It felt good in the morning, and continued to improve through the day. Yay!
I also did a 3-day retreat with my dojo earlier this month. I discovered that doing Aikido for 3 days without sitting in seiza (setting down on your knees) is painful! There were no mats, so everything was done standing. I never realized how much sitting stretches the legs. I’m rarely sore after a regular class, but by the middle of the second day I felt like someone had been beating on my kneecaps with a hammer. Luckily that cleared up quickly with stretching, once I was back home.
Weight: I exceded my goal of losing 10 pounds by the end of September. It’s only the 27th, and I’m down 12 from when I started this blog (22 overall). Another 8 to get to my initial goal weight, and then “we’ll see.” It’s been very easy. Play hard, work hard, eat good stuff. Really painless.
Riding: This didn’t go the way I anticipated. I got called on to do my first Aikido test earlier than I thought I would. That was great, and I had a wonderful time training for it, but it kept me very busy for a month or so. It’s also been hot as blazes - not good riding weather at all. I must remember not to plan any outdoor activity for August/September. It never works out. (It’s 82F in my home office right now, at 12:40 a.m.) The good news, though… Cooler weather should be just around the corner.
So, not bad. Time for what’s next.
So Far, So Good (Day #1 w/ Trainer)
This morning, at 7:15 a.m., I had my first appointment with the trainer who is helping me figure out what kinds of exercises I need to do, and how to work them into a maintainable daily routine.
In case you have been wondering, it’s nearly dark at 5 a.m.. And yes, the sun rises in the East. In spite of running late while getting ready, I somehow made it with 5 minutes to spare. Me, early, at 7:15. Whoa.
The session involved a lot of analysis and introduction. There’s all sorts of lop-sided-ness going on, and stronger parts compensating for weaker parts. Of course I’ve been doing some things with incorrect form. She had me do a few exercises, mostly to learn how to do them correctly (and showed me how to tell if I’m doing them correctly). As I’ve discovered with Aikido, it’s really hard to learn new physical skills! One can pay attention to details A, B, and C, but let D go all to pieces. Focus on D, get A backward… Acck!
It’s easy to see how this work will support both Aikido and riding, where balance and core stability are key. I think I have a pretty good grasp on the ones we went over, and will be doing them for the next few days, until I see her again.
Goals, Round One
My first assignment from my personal trainer is to set out 3 specific, measurable goals, with a “by when” date. So here’s the first round:
Riding: Do 4 lessons or rides with Rainy by September 30th, 2009
Aikido: Participate in seminar with Robert Nadeau Shihan on July 24/25, 2009
Weight: Lose 10 pounds by Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
Workout Area: The Garage
The Zuma machine (Pacific Fitness) and weight bench are in the garage. The machine is very convenient, and nothing is ever in the way of using it. To use the bench, however, I have to pull it out into the space where a car sometimes is parked. There are several attachments for the machine, plus some free weights (heavy, mostly). I have not-as-heavy weights in the house (not being used). There’s a fan and cheapo garage radio. It’s too hot here in the daytime, but nice morning and evening.
Workout Area: Living Room
This room offers a lot of space. Good for stretching, practicing Aikido rolls (ukemi), and any exercises or practice that requires space. I keep the foam roller in here, which works well. The stretchy bands also live here, for now. Those are very convenient, because I see them every time I walk by, but it’s not the nicest decor. They really should be in my office… Once I get it cleaned up.
Workout Area: The Family Room
The elliptical trainer is here. At one point I was doing 45 minutes a night on it, almost every night. The balance ball, Indo Board (a balance board on steroids), and Pilates ring-thingy could live here or in the Living Room. It’s possible to watch TV while doing the elliptical, but I really need to rig up a way to watch my iPod videos on the book holder instead.
Workout Area: The Yard & Pen
Hilly and dusty. General chores mean walking to the barn, then up and down the hill, carrying things, 3-4 times, twice a day.
Workout Area: The Barn
There’s space (with heavy rubber mats), little stairs, a straw bale, and pipe corral panels. Feeding the critters and cleaning the pen are good warm-ups. I do 10-20 steps onto the straw bale most mornings, and some evenings. Pipe corral rails are good for stretching. Space is good for practicing Aikido (in the dark, so the neighbors don’t have further reason to believe I am nuts).
Getting Some Exercise at Work
When I work in the office I can walk around the park on breaks, or around the whole ballpark at lunch (a mile, if I do the right route). There are stairs at the ballpark, and stairs in the parking garage.
Critter Care is Exercise
Grooming the critters can be a workout, too. “Currying” Rainy (the horse) means reaching and scrubbing and brushing. The donkeys are shorter, but still a lot of reps. Picking out feet can be backbreaking work, too.
Chores are Exercise
There’s a lot of yard work and pen cleaning to be done. Raking, picking up manure, dumping, cleaning, and filling water tubs… I generally pick up 4 trashcansful in the morning. I only fill them to about 40 pounds, so I can carry them easily. There are about 24 cans. Once a week I load them onto a tractor, and then lift them (by hand) to dump them into the dumpster.
I practice Aikido at Aikido of San Diego. I attend at least one class a week - more when I can.
I started in May of 2009, and promptly injured my shoulder. It is doing much better, thanks to Doug Hoeck at his team. I’ve recently started back to participating fully in classes.
Fun is Exercise
I don’t run marathons or bike 25 miles to work, but I do get a bit of exercise here and there. Some of the activities from the past week:
- Walked around the Del Mar Fair
- Peddle-boated at Santee Lakes
- Walked at Santee Lakes (another day)
- Cleaned the horse pen and dumped manure cans
- 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer
- Walked at Lake Murray
- Two Aikido classes (90 minutes and 60 minutes)
Most weeks we walk about 2-3 miles around Coronado.
Mmmm… Food…
I’m pretty happy with the way I eat. Lots of salads, beans, fish, nuts, yogurt, veggies… healthy oils, few sweets, no sodas. I eat good stuff, mostly - and probably a bit too much of it.
